When I was in high school I lived across the street from a Poppin’ Fresh, which is now known as Baker’s Square. They make the BEST French Silk Pie, which is a rich and creamy chocolate cream pie. Yes, they beat out Marie Callender’s by a mile. I have been making this pie every year since 2008.

There isn’t a Christmas or Thanksgiving that goes by without this pie, and chances are we’ll be enjoying it for Easter too. It’s just a family favorite and there would be a lot of sad faces if I didn’t make it!

I recently updated the photos on this post. So if you followed a link or came from Pinterest and these aren’t the photos you expected, that’s why. However, I have kept the original photos in a small collage below. You know. For old time’s sake. :)

I originally discovered this recipe on a blog called Sticky Feet. Can’t thank her enough for sharing this pie which has become a family tradition around here!

From my original blog post: “I have to admit, I was so excited to make this, and then so worried it wasn’t going to work because the instructions said to beat the butter and sugar until creamy and not grainy. Well mine was creamy but never NOT grainy. However, after making this multiple times now, I know to simply beat it for several minutes until light and fluffy, about 6-7 minutes.” The sugar melts in the rest overnight, so be sure to include that step. You won’t be disappointed!

My Tips

First off, make the filling first. The filling will be pale in color but will darken as it chills. Put it into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. This allows it to set up and thicken a bit before adding it to the pie shell.

Make your pie crust. If making a crust from scratch, follow the instructions for a fully baked pie shell as this pie will not go in the oven. Let it cool completely.

Add the chilled filling to the pie crust. Put it back in the fridge while you make the whipped topping. If you are using Cool Whip, go ahead and top the pie now and refrigerate.

WAIT until tomorrow to eat. You can certainly eat it after it has chilled for several hours, BUT believe me when I tell you that you will be very thankful that you waited overnight. The filling needs time to set up. Any graininess you may have detected when you tasted the filling will be gone after a good night’s rest.

I have made this pie numerous times and have used both Cool Whip (pictured in the original photos) and fresh whipped cream (as seen in these updated photos) for the topping. You can dress it up by shaving some bittersweet chocolate through a mandoline or by using a vegetable peeler. Sprinkle the shavings on the top of the pie.

Bake a pie crust or use a Pillsbury refrigerated crust and make according to package directions for a fully baked crust.

Beat sugar and butter on medium high until light and fluffy, about 6-7 minutes.

Add chocolate and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

Add eggs, two at a time, beating 5 minutes after each addition.

Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow filling to chill for 2-3 hours before adding to cooled pie crust.

Add prepared whipped topping,

You can garnish with shaved bittersweet chocolate as well.

Notes from Amanda

First off, make the filling first. The filling will be pale in color but will darken as it chills. Put it into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. This allows it to set up and thicken a bit before adding it to the pie shell.

Make your pie crust. If making a crust from scratch, follow the instructions for a fully baked pie shell as this pie will not go in the oven. Let it cool completely.

Add the chilled filling to the pie crust. Put it back in the fridge while you make the whipped topping. If you are using Cool Whip, go ahead and top the pie now and refrigerate.

WAIT until tomorrow to eat. You can certainly eat it after it has chilled for several hours, BUT believe me when I tell you that you will be very thankful that you waited overnight. The filling needs time to set up. Any graininess you may have detected when you tasted the filling will be gone after a good night’s rest.

The eggs in this recipe are not cooked. If that concerns you, you can use pasteurized eggs.

I love your blog and so many goodies I’d like to try! I saw your comment about the brownie bites (reeses cup)… I use a regular muffin tin, not silicone… maybe that’s the difference?? Also, when mine come out they are just a little gooey and I let them cool all the way before pulling out that way they set, but are still nice and soft when you bite into them. I can’t think of why else the tops are falling off yours :O( bummer!

You are so right about how great this is. Bakers square french silk is my husbands all time favorite but in the past several years the price has sky rocketed and the crust taste like cardboard. I made this for Thanksgiving and he begged me to make it for Christmas. It is truly great and the only thing is is that you really got to take the time to make sure the butter and sugar are not grainy. Thanks Amanda

I always loved Baker’s Square chocolate silk pies too. Haven’t had one on years, but when I lived 10 months plus per year on the road, they were always a welcome treat. I will have to try this. But real whipped cream for me!

Love your blog – thanks for the recipes. This is one I’ve not made for decades – can’t wait to try it.In regards to the “grainy” problem. I seem to remember that using superfine sugar will help – I’ll be sure to try it next week.Happy Holidays!

I haven't tried powdered sugar, and it would definitely measure differently, but if you follow the recipe instructions the pie comes out perfect. Nice and creamy, even if it seems grainy when you are making it :) there's no graininess when it's finished. hope that helps!

Had a French Silk Pie with some friends in February. (It's posted on my blog, maybe you saw it). But the trick I used was Superfine Sugar. Didn't even have to beat it very long and it wasn't grainy AT ALL. Otherwise, I think our recipes look similar. Try superfine sugar sometime, just replace it in any French Silk Pie recipe and it it works great!http://www.bakingandboys.com/2010/02/twdrick-katzs-brownies-for-julia-and.htmlI didn't even post a recipe, but I think it's because I combined a couple recipes I'd been looking at and used superfine sugar in a recipe that just called for granulated. But I got the idea from another recipe.Happy Easter. Your pie certainly looks fabulously creamy!

Yes Susan, that is correct :) If you are concerned about egg safety you can use pasteurized eggs, get them from a local farmer, or it might not be for you. it's my favorite chocolate pie that I have made several times. :)

My pie has been in the fridge for 3 hours and still is thick but runny. Is it just my fridge? Did anyone elses take this long. But I keep licking the chocolate and it's yummy. It just won't firm up so i can eat it

You need to modify the recipe and the instructions a bit. A TRADITIONAL french Silk would have another ounce of chocolate, another egg, 1 c sugar not 1.5 cups. As for the instructions you do NOT add eggs two at a time but rather one at a time with 5 minutes of mixing between eggs.

The given recipe will make a good chocolate flavored pie. With the corrections you will get the pie that started it all and will finally understand the origin of the name. Until modified you won’t get the real “silk”. if done correctly this pie will NOT be runny when sent to the fridge to chill.

Thanks for that Kevin, I may have to give your adjustments a try sometime :) I’ve made the pie according to the above recipe probably 10 times and it tastes just like Baker’s Square French Silk Pie to me :) The filling was never runny when I sent it to the fridge, but I definitely firms up after chilling. :)

Kate, I haven’t tried that yet, but if I were to try I would use 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract instead of the 2 teaspoons vanilla the recipe calls for. :) This is based off of making peppermint ice cream multiple times. If you try it, let me know how it goes!

I know that the first time I made this mine was the same way but after it say overnight it was outstanding. I made mine for Thanksgiving this morning and it was perfect by late afternoon. Try popping it into the freezer for half an hour or so and see if that helps!

I used a mixer (i'm eating a piece right now heehee) and beat the sugar and butter until really fluffy, takes a good 4 or 5 minutes. Then add the melted, cooled chocolate and the vanilla, beat again to incorporate. Keeping mixer at medium speed, add two eggs and beat 5 mins, then again, two eggs, five minutes. Set your timer – 5 minutes is a lot longer than you might think :)

If it makes you feel better, I made mine 3 times this holiday. Why? Because I screwed up the first two using semi sweet chocolate instead of unsweetened. Didn't realize it until after the second batch. ha!

I love this pie and have tried to make it twice in the last 2 days? Does it require real butter vs margarine? We've beaten and beaten and can't get it to firm up. Ends ups as loose pudding at best even after refrigerating and freezing.

I have only ever used unsalted butter to make this, never margarine, so I can't tell you if it would work using margarine. Margarine is made from vegetable or soybean oil where butter is made from cream, so they really are quite different and that could be causing the problem.

In the first step, be sure to beat the butter and sugar until nice and fluffy, this can take several minutes. Add the cooled, melted chocolate and the vanilla beat them together until homogenous. Scrape the bowl down if needed. Make SURE you are using unsweetened chocolate, not bittersweet or semisweet.

Add two eggs, keep beating at medium speed for five full minutes. Add the other two eggs then beat another five full minutes.

At this point I put mine in a bowl in the fridge. I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before adding it to the pie shell. It helps to be able to pile it into the shell if it's had time to firm a bit.

Amanda, thanks for the response. I made it with real butter last night and it turned out great. I know baking is always better with butter but you get so use to using margarine that I didn't even think about it.

I was searching for french silk pie recipes and stumbled across yous. I had nearly forgotten eating Baker’s Square french silk every Sunday after church when I lived in the Chicago area. I will be trying this out! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

I get my eggs directly from a farmer, so I use those and don’t do anything special. You can certainly purchase pasteurized eggs if you prefer :) I have never tried egg substitute so I couldn’t recommend that. We just had this pie again last week. Love it!

Loved the pie! Made it for Thanksgiving!! Everyone loved it. But to me it wasn’t like Bakers Square. It wasn’t as silky–my turned out more thicker–custardy. Not as chocolatey. I used Ghiradelli chocolate and I mixed it a lot–10 mins between eggs and items. I didn’t want it to be runny. My sugar and egg mixture was very runny so I kept mixing. Did I over mix it?

Glad you loved the pie, but sorry it didn’t quite come out for you! It is possible you beat the eggs too long, but I almost wonder if maybe your butter was too soft to begin with? That could have been a factor as well. Butter should be softened, meaning the chill is off but it’s still firm. If touching the butter with your finger caused an immediately indent, it’s possible it’s too warm. The butter and the sugar should have been beaten for about 6-7 minutes, until light and fluffy looking. After adding the melted chocolate (which should have been cooled first, it should not be hot), then you add two eggs, beat five minutes on medium high, then add the other two eggs and beat five more minutes. Did you use UNsweetened chocolate? That’s important too as the added sugar in bittersweet, semisweet or milk chocolate can definitely affect the final result. I hope you’ll try it again! I’ve made this pie half a dozen times and loved it every time :) Thanks!

I made this pie Thanksgiving 2010 and it was amazing! I made my family wait until Thanksgiving this year to have it again. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the importance of a hand mixer! My pie was runny and soup-like. I’m currently making it again, this time with my sister’s hand mixer, in order to redeem myself and prove I am the dessert master. Thank you for your recipe! And, for updating it. I need all the extra hints and tricks. :)

[…] taste what I felt like French Silk Pie should taste like. Earlier this year I discovered a recipe online called ‘Homemade Baker’s Square French Silk Pie’. I didn’t try my hand at making it until the day before Thanksgiving, hoping that it would […]

I’m on the hunt for Baker’s Square’s Strawberry Silk Pie (the strawberry version of French Silk Pie). It used to be their pie of the month every February and now the restaurants around me don’t make it any more. This is my all time favorite pie! Have you had it? If so, any thoughts on how you could convert this recipe to the strawberry version???

Hi Amanda,
I too am searching for a recipe for Strawberry Silk pie. It was the same as French silk but Strawberry, only available in February for Valentines Day. I do not remember it having any seeds in it so I assume the recipe must have had a strawberry syrup, just a guess. Any suggestions for the strawberry flavoring!? Thank you for sharing your recipe.

[…] taste what I felt like French Silk Pie should taste like. Earlier this year I discovered a recipe online called ‘Homemade Baker’s Square French Silk Pie’. I didn’t try my hand at making it until the day before Thanksgiving, hoping that it would […]

Hi Amanda. Without knowing all of the steps that you took, how long you beat everything, and if you used the suggested ingredients I can’t be much help. :-( If it has not sat overnight, I would suggest that first. If it’s still not set up by morning (which it really should have been after just an hour or so) then there may have been an ingredient missed or a step not followed correctly. I’ve made this recipe at least 15 times, so I know that it works, the best I could suggest would be to try again and make sure that you follow the recipe exactly. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help!

I love love love this pie! I actually am not a huge fan of Baker’s Square’s (Village Inn in my state)French Silk, but my sister is so I made this for her – and it was so much better than VI’s! There were leftovers (shocking, I know) so this was my “dinner” for several days afterwards, no regrets :)
I plan on making it again for Easter!

Poppin’ Fresh French Silk, and only that particular brand of french silk, is the only french silk pie worth eating. Therefore, I’m willing to take a stab at your recipe…but had a question. I note the pictures show the pie baked in a tart pan (convex bottom), not a traditional pie pan. Do you always make your recipe in the pictured pan? If so, that might explain some of the anomalies your blog readers have experienced…

Hi Hilary. I agree that Baker’s Square (aka Poppin’ Fresh) French Silk is the only French Silk worth eating :) And this one. No, I only made this pie once in this tart pan, but I doubt that any of my readers used a tart pan. Either way, it works great in the pictured pan or in a regular pie pan. I have made this many, many times as have many of my readers and all have had excellent results. There was one person who experienced a runny texture, but my guess would be, due to the overall success of this recipe every time I have made it, is that there was human error involved. I hope you try it, it’s truly marvelous. But you really have to wait until the following day to taste test it, it WILL taste better the next day. I promise :)

I loved making this pie! I live in Dubai and can’t find pasteurized eggs, so I did it myself, cover eggs in water in a saucepan and bring the temperature up to 140* F (I used a sugar thermometer) keep at 140* (no higher than 142*) for 3 mins (med eggs) the use straight away, or refrigerate. Gave me a good piece of mind. Thanks for sharing!

I made this pie today and it is WONDERFUL!!!! It is not gritty at all. It is like pure silk. I followed your directions and it came out perfect!!!! This will be a staple of mine because it is so easy to make!!!! Thank you for the recipe!!!!

Hi Amanda,
I am making this french silk pie for my moms birthday this week. And im just curious to what dark chocolate you used. I bought Ghiradelli 65% dark chocalate and another hersey dark chocolate which i think is 45%. Out of those 2 which would you use?
Cant wait to make this pie as a suprise!

Darn it, sorry sarah! I was traveling and am just getting to my comments :( To answer your question, even though it’s probably too late, this recipe uses UNSWEETENED chocolate. Therefore neither of the ones you mentioned are the right kind as they both contain sugar. Your pie could end up too sweet. Look in the baking aisle, I usually get the Baker’s brand, in an orange box, here’s a photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/61333659@N04/5757319392/

Hi Jean! As is mentioned in the post, you can purchase pasteurized eggs if that’s a concern for you. I purchase my eggs from a neighbor who has chickens, so I don’t have to worry about mishandling of government eggs.

You can add it at the same time as the instructions state for the Cool Whip :) I always use the real stuff too, but used the Cool Whip the first year. I’m making two of these pies this year since there’s never any leftovers!

Does it make a difference if you use butter with salt in it? I plan on making this with my 9 year old daughter for our Thanksgiving dessert! I remember this pie from Bakers Square when I was a teenager. Loved it!

I have made french silk several times (using a very similar recipe.) Mine calls for pwd sugar though and I thought that might be why it was so silky. I can’t wait to try grabulated sugar. mine calls for one less egg and it still has never not set up!

Hi Noreen! While the granulated sugar seems gritty while your making the filling, when it’s setting up in the refrigerator the sugar must melt into the other ingredients because it’s always silky smooth! :)

I never ended up getting unsalted butter, but I made it anyway. If it’s suppose to be better with unsalted butter, I can’t imagine just how good it can be! It was devine! Love it so much. Thanks for sharing. I’m sure it will be a favorite at every family holiday gathering!

Tried this recipe today for Thanksgiving. It was terrible. My husband and I couldn’t even eat one slice. I was so sad after reading all of the positive reviews. I followed the recipe as written and the final result tasted nothing like chocolate or any French silk pie I have ever eaten. I’d rather pay bakers square! Thanks anyways.

I’m sorry you had trouble Lesley. If it hadn’t been for me making this recipe for the last five years every Thanksgiving and sometimes on Christmas, AND so many other people having success with it as well, I would wonder what happened. However, all I can say is that you must have done something wrong and not followed the recipe as stated. There are just too many success stories and I’ve never had a problem either. I made two of these for Thanksgiving this year and they were both perfect. It’s possible that it was your ingredients (bad eggs, chocolate too hot instead of cooled, etc) or you could have missed a step. I understand the frustration that goes along with a recipe not working for you and I’m sorry you had to experience that. Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving though!

Just tried this for my husband who loved the French Silk pies from Baker Square (he is from Chicago and we lived there for 15 years). I used egg substitute and Ghiradelli cocoa (since I was in a hurry to get it chilling and only had semi-sweet chocolate in the house!). Turned out great. Thanks!!

[…] the entire time in the kitchen. The plan was to make as much as possible ahead of time, like this French Silk Pie and a Perfect Pumpkin Pie. The day before the big meal I chopped vegetables, made pies, cranberry […]

Hi, not sure if you will read this before easter 2013 or not, but I am planning on making 2 of these to take to easter…can i just double everything and split it up between the 2 crusts, or would it be better to mixed everything one pie at a time?

Could you be a bit more specific in terms of melting and cooling the chocolate before adding? I’m a rookie in the kitchen and know that chocolate can be a bit finicky. Should I simply melt it in a pot on the stove? And how cool is cool? I’m concerned that it will harden again before I have the chance to mix it in.

Hi Therese. You can melt it in the microwave or using the double boiler method on the stove. You only heat the chocolate long enough to melt it, you don’t want it to get really hot. I usually microwave for 30-60 seconds first, depends on your wattage, and stir, then in 20 seconds increments after that. When you get to a point that there’s only small pieces left, you can usually stir it several times and those small pieces will melt without further heating. Chocolate that contains more sugar (milk chocolate and semisweet chocolate) are more finicky that bittersweet or unsweetened. it’s the additional sugar that usually causes a problem. Go ahead and melt the chocolate just before you turn on the mixer for the rest of the pie. That should give it enough time to cool :) Hope that helps!

Great recipe, thank you. Have made it several times and it never fails me. I always loved the Bakers Square French Silk Almond so of course I added some almond flavoring and it tasted just like I remember!

I have lived for years 1 I/2 miles down the street from first Poppin Fresh, then Bakers Square. Call me crazy but I swear there was a hint of cinnamon in the Poppin Fresh pie that wasn’t there when Bakers Square took over. Nothing obvious, just the occasional taste of cinnamon, like they crushed up cinnamon candy and threw a tiny bit in.
I’m going to make this recipe when the temp drops here in Michigan. After I’ve made it a few times I’ll try a little cinnamon.

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